<h4>Chapter 90: _ I Kissed Her, Luis</h4>


    By the time I reached Luis’s little house, I was already exhausted.


    It wasn’t the distance—Moon Goddess knew I had walked farther than this today. It was the mental toll of dealing with Luis Miguel and his gang, the vegetable cart incident, and the fact that I still had toe here and see <i>him</i>.


    Luis. My dear, miserable, wheelchair-bound cousin.


    I pushed open the door, half expecting to find him asleep. Instead, I was greeted by an entirely different kind of horror.


    His caregiver; a round woman with the face of someone who had fought many battles against sleep and lost every single one... was sprawled across a wooden chair, deep in slumber.


    Her sundress, which had probably been in a more respectable position when she first sat down, had decided gravity was a myth. The neckline had flopped so low that one of her generous bosoms was <i>darn close</i> to escaping.


    Her mouth was wide open, drool glistening on her chin, and her snores... dear Moon Goddess, her snores sounded like a grizzly bear choking on a flute.


    I was so stunned I forgot to move. Slowly, I turned and my eyes found him.


    Luis sat there in his wheelchair, wires still attached to him, his body slumped in that stiff, ufortable way his stroke left him. His head was tilted to the side, and from the corner of his mouth, a long, glistening strand of saliva dangled like a sad little decoration.


    But what truly got me?


    The way his eyes stared ahead <i>in pure, soul-crushing misery</i>.


    This man had yed games with me. Ate with me. Made trouble with me... literally done everything with me. And now?


    Now, he was a helpless invalid forced to spend his days watching his caregiver snore so loud it could be ssified as an attack on the pack’s peace.


    His father and my father’s story made me wonder if álvaro and I might ever repeat history. I mean, I didn’t see a chance in it before, but now that I also want the Alpha position, I couldn’t help but wonder if history was bound to repeat itself.


    I groaned when I looked at his chubby caregiver again, pressing a hand to my throat. "Luis, how the hell are you surviving in this house? You’re out here suffering, and this woman is having the nap of her life."


    Luis blinked slowly. A single tear might as well have fallen from his eye for dramatic effect, but my cousin never cries anymore. Not after years ago.


    Shaking my head, I turned my attention to the human snore machine. It was time to put an end to this disgrace.


    I walked up to her, leaned in close, and pped my hands right next to her ear.


    "<i>FIRE! THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE!</i>"


    The effect was instant.


    Her eyes flew open so fast I thought they might roll out of her skull. She shot up with a startled <i>gurgle</i>, her arms flying in the air and knocking over a cup of water in the process.


    "<i>?Ay, Virgen Santa!</i>" she shrieked, blinking around in confusion. "Where’s the fire?! Where?! Oh, my heart! My poor heart!"


    I crossed my arms. "Good to know you can wake up when it really counts."


    She turned to me, cing a hand over her chest. "<i>Dios mío, Beta Axel!</i> You almost gave me a heart attack! I—I must’ve dozed off for just a <i>minute...</i>"


    "A <i>minute</i>?" I gave her a dry look. "You were hibernating, se?ora."


    She gasped, scandalized. "I was <i>not</i>! I was merely resting my eyes!"


    I gestured toward Luis, whose only movement for the past five minutes had been the slow drip of saliva from his mouth.


    "And what about him?" I said. "He’s been sitting here looking like he just watched his entire life’s work crumble while you were <i>resting your eyes</i>."


    She turned to Luis and <i>actually</i> gasped. "<i>?Pobre de ti!</i>" She rushed over, fussing over him, wiping his mouth like a mother cleaning up a messy toddler.


    I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "It’s fine. Just... go. I want some time alone with him."


    She hesitated but eventually nodded. "Alright, alright. I’ll be back soon."


    She left, mumbling about how her <i>corazón</i> couldn’t take these shocks anymore.


    As soon as she was gone, I turned to Luis, rubbing the back of my neck. "Finally, some peace. How’s it going, buddy?"


    He blinked. That was it. That was all he could do.


    "Right. Dumb question." I leaned against the table beside him. "Don’t worry, I’ll do all the talking. I know you’ve missed my voice."


    He gave me a slow, dead-eyed blink.


    I smirked. "I’ll take that as a <i>yes</i>."


    I exhaled and folded my arms. "You wouldn’t believe the day I had. First, I walked—<i>walked</i>—through the pack, and people lost their minds over it. Then, I ran into Luis Miguel and his groupies, and <i>get this</i>—they <i>thanked</i> me for punishing them. Oh, in case you’re lost, they are a bunch of troublemakers who troubled María José, so I put them in their ces."


    I let that sink in, shaking my head in disbelief. "They were so terrified they actually thought I might have <i>more punishment</i> waiting for them. The dumbasses."


    Luis continued staring.


    I sighed, clicking my tongue. "But then, before dealing with those idiots, we went to Don Diego’s house. And, Luis, you won’t <i>believe</i> this..." I arched in conspiratorially. "álvaro asked for Cami’s hand in marriage."


    I waited for some reaction. Of course, nothing came.


    Still, I chuckled bitterly. "Yeah. He really did it. álvaro, the great, mighty Alpha-to-be, wants to tie himself to <i>that woman</i>."


    I scoffed. "It’s insane, right? I mean, I get that she’s technically a good match politically, but Luis, you <i>know</i> how insufferable she is. Do you know what she did? She had the <i>audacity</i> to im I was with Rosa when I was not? <i>Rosa</i>, Luis. Can you imagine the <i>horror</i> of living under the same roof as that woman if álvaro actually marries her?"


    Luis gave me another slow, pathetic blink.


    "Exactly. You get it."


    I shook my head, exhaling. "And the worst part? María José was there. She <i>heard</i> that nonsense. And it pissed me off so much because..." I hesitated for a second, then groaned, rubbing my face. "Fuck, Luis. I need to tell you something."


    I paused, then bit my bottom lip.


    "I snuck into Don Diego’s vi," I admitted, "to protect María José."


    Luis’s brow barely twitched.


    I sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I <i>know</i>. But listen—I didn’t just <i>watch</i> over her, okay? Somehow, I lost control. Fuck, Luis, I... I kissed her."


    At first, there was silence.


    And then, came <i>the longest, slowest, most judgmental blink I had ever seen in my life</i>.


    I cleared my throat. "Yeah. And, uh... I kinda bit her too."


    Another slow blink.


    I swallowed. "And, uh... drank her blood."


    Luis’s nostrils red.


    I lifted my hands. "Before you judge me... and I <i>know</i> you’re judging me—just know that I <i>regret nothing</i>."


    Luis let out the <i>weakest</i> little wheeze of air. It was strange because this was the most reaction I had gotten from him in the history of his illness.


    I gawked. "Are you—are you actually trying to <i>breathe an insult</i> at me? <i>Unbelievable</i>."


    He wheezed again.


    I scowled. "Oh, fuck off, Luis."


    He blinked again.


    I groaned, running a hand down my face. "Look, I don’t know <i>why</i> I did it, alright? But I did. And now, I can’t stop thinking about her."


    I sighed, ncing down. "And that... <i>scares me.</i>"


    Luis wheezed onest time.


    And I?


    Iughed bitterly, shaking my head. "Yeah. I’m <i>so</i> fucked."